Presentation Type
Lightning Talk
Abstract
With budget cuts to school libraries, a decline in reading, and an awareness that students’ lived experience in libraries can range from warm fuzzy feelings to seriously negative emotions, we created a new blend of undergraduate services programming deliberately mixing fun with academic support to support post-pandemic students.
Fun reading, study breaks and academic support: The perfect blend for building sense of belonging
With budget cuts to school libraries, a decline in reading, and an awareness that students’ lived experience in libraries can range from warm fuzzy feelings to seriously negative emotions, we created a new blend of undergraduate services programming deliberately mixing fun with academic support to support post-pandemic students.
Comments
After working for years to develop events to promote different aspects of our services to undergraduate students we began to deliberately mix and blend our recipe! Librarians and library staff at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities worked to develop a recipe of sorts with the goal of 1.) updating misconceptions of what a library is (a.k.a. not a book warehouse) 2.) normalizing using academic support services 3.) emphasizing the value of libraries for busy students, and 4.) showcasing both fun books and non-book services and collections (e.g. diverse voices, technology, archives, etc. Our goal was to connect students with a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences and to provide a space for students to be their authentic selves while building community with other students.
We mixed and remixed existing programming ideas such as pop-up libraries, reading parties, therapy animal visits, and academic support services, etc. using a trauma-informed approach to prioritize student voice and choice. This mix with a focus on a fun and friendly approach was also able to promote the timely academic features students might need. We worked with campus partners and used social media to reach students to support the whole student. In this lightning talk, we will share our formula with concrete examples you can easily use, modify and customize for your students and institution.